


staying up, waking up with you

by steambend



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, just how i feel their dynamic might change to prep them for romance in s2, nothing especially romantic, s1 continuation, they don't know john b is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24406726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steambend/pseuds/steambend
Summary: All she wanted to do was be with JJ. She could make a million excuses about wanting to comfort him, or distract him from the father who probably hadn’t even realized he had been gone for this long. And she did want to do those things, but it was for the sake of being with JJ. His presence had been more comforting to her than she could acknowledge.
Relationships: JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 119





	staying up, waking up with you

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Hopefully Kie and JJ aren't too OOC in this but, it's my fic and I'll write them how I want to!
> 
> Basically I just want more Jiara being soft with each other in season 2, not necessarily in a romantic way, but hey I will not be adverse to it if that's where it leads.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Blinking tired eyes open, Kiara could vaguely make out golden sun rays streaming into the room, interrupted only by the light strands of hair splayed around her face. The Pogues – or the remaining three, Kiara bitterly thought – had fallen asleep together again, something that had been happening often since the accident.

Rubbing her eyes so she could properly assess the situation, she noticed Pope was nowhere to be seen, already having sneaked home. Kiara was scarcely surprised. Pope had been extra aware of being home with his parents in the aftermath of the _tragedy_ – a term coined by the media; a term Kiara could only scoff at with indignation. Of course, John B garnered sympathy only _after_ he was dead. Society never cared about him before he made for a good news story.

Kiara felt the body beside her shifting, and she focused her attention on him. JJ was peaceful in his sleep. She didn't mind waking to him clutching the back of her tank, with his head buried in her chest. She didn't mind it, even if she would’ve told him off for something like this before. It made her feel like she was helping in some way, by giving him the comfort he so desperately sought, but never asked for. She knew there wasn’t really any way for her to fix this. Not this time.

She began to stroke the hair at the nape of JJ’s neck, closing her eyes again. She felt him stir against her, sighing quietly. His grip on her loosened as he came to.

“Kie?” he rasped, his hand sliding up the side of her arm as if he could determine it was her by the feel of her skin.

She ignored the slight shiver the touch elicited in her, and responded, “Yeah. I’m here.”

“You let me stay again,” he pointed out, sounding as if he didn’t believe she would.

He lifted his head so he could catch her gaze. His eyes looked tired; his movements lethargic. But he seemed relieved at seeing her there. She smiled softly, sweeping her hand through his hair again, “Of course. We have to stick together.”

“Sounds like something John B would say,” JJ muttered, removing himself from her embrace entirely and sitting up.

She followed suit, rubbing her neck to ease the soreness in it caused by their tangled sleeping position. A hollow ache settled in her chest at the mention of their friend. There was no placative word that would soothe their pain, so she opted to say nothing at all.

“It’d probably be bad if my dad saw you in here again,” Kiara spoke, knowing that her dad wouldn’t actually mind given the circumstances.

Kiara shifted slightly, not understanding why it bothered her so much. The boys had crashed at her place plenty of times before. Why was it different now? Why was it different when it was JJ?

“Yeah, probably,” JJ responded, but didn’t make any effort to move.

It’s not that he didn’t respect her wishes, Kiara knew that. He didn’t really have anywhere else to go. Home was out of the question, though she wasn’t sure if JJ could really call it that anymore. He couldn’t go to John B’s. Too many painful memories were there. Frankly, she didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone. She wasn’t sure _she_ even wanted to be alone.

It wasn’t long before she heard herself suggesting, “Why don’t we hire a canoe? Or steal one. We can just float for a while if you want.”

“Sure, let's go out on the water. That way we can drown like John B did.”

“Yeah. No, sorry. That was a stupid suggestion.”

“No, no- it wasn’t. I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that,” JJ locked his eyes on her again, his gaze so sincere she couldn’t help but believe him, “I get that you’re trying to make things normal again.”

“I don’t think that’s even possible. I feel stupid for trying.”

Kiara noticed him reach for her, pulling back after a moment, and then ultimately deciding to rest his hand on her closest limb. His hand brushed along her thigh before settling just above her knee, and he gave a reassuring squeeze. He didn’t move it away, his thumb rubbing slow circles onto her skin, and Kiara felt her eyes prick at the gesture. It was hard being the emotional rock of the group. It felt good to be the one being comforted for once.

Sniffing back her emotions, Kiara spluttered, “Well, what _do_ you want to do?”

JJ’s hand stilled for a second before resuming its movement. Peering at him through her lashes, Kiara noticed him take a deep breath before whispering, “I just don’t want to be alone. I just kind of want to stay here with you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“God, no. Talking is the last thing I want to do.”

That drew a chuckle out of Kiara, and she couldn’t help but realize that all she wanted to do was be with JJ too. She could make a million excuses about wanting to comfort him, or distract him from the father who probably hadn’t even realized he had been gone for this long. And she did want to do those things, but it was for the sake of being with JJ. His presence had been more comforting to her than she could acknowledge.

So instead, she pulled him to her in another embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He took no time to reciprocate, circling his own arms around her waist, resting his chin above her collarbone.

She felt him press a kiss to her shoulder. If this was a week earlier, she might’ve freaked out over the fact. It was a soft touch, intimate and personal in a way Kiara didn’t know if she was ready for. But, in that moment, it was everything she needed.

He kissed her once more at the base of her neck, a short kiss, a reminder he was there, _present_ and with her. Then, he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She dropped her own head onto his shoulder and breathed him in, memorizing his scent and reveling in the safety of his embrace.

She didn’t know what this was, she didn’t know what they were, but she did know that she needed this. She needed him, and he needed her. Something in their dynamic had shifted, and she couldn’t bring herself to be concerned about it. Maybe she even liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my socials if you're so inclined:
> 
> \- twitter @zuktaras  
> \- tumblr @steambend / @jvitzu


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